


Hair Halos and Cute Sleepwalkers

by orphan_account



Series: The Ballad of Solangelo [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Awkward Conversations, Bisexual Will, Bonfires, Embarrassed Nico, Flirty Will, M/M, Nico and Will are neighbours, Sleepwalking, asexual hunters of artemis, beach bonfire party, lesbian hunters of artemis, secluded beach, solangelo, solangelo obsessed, unedited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2015-02-07
Packaged: 2018-03-01 04:39:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2759933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will really didn't mean to get a crush on the Sleepwalker. Honestly. But when you see the same guy in his pyjamas every night, these things are almost inevitable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What Ever is the Past Tense of Sleepwalking?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To say Will was surprised would be an understatement; he was dumbfounded. It’s three in the morning and there’s a stranger in his apartment. Awesome.

Will Solace has decided apartment lease forms really ought check sleepwalker status before taking on residents.

He was having a perfectly normal night until there was a knock on his door. He squinted at his clock and frowned when he saw it was nearly three in the morning. The chances it was a serial killer were probably next to none, but Will walked cautiously towards the door anyway. The metal of the handle was cold and sent goosebumps up his arm as he turned it to open the door of his tiny apartment. Before he could even say hello, or look at whoever was in his doorway, they pushed past him and into his flat.

To say Will was surprised would be an understatement; he was dumbfounded. _It’s three in the morning and there’s a stranger in my apartment. Awesome._ The guy was around Will’s age- maybe a year younger- and he had a mess of dark hair encircling his head, like a fuzzy halo. Not that Will noticed this until far later. He was more concerned by the fact that the stranger was _going through his drawers_.

“Hey!” Will hissed. The guy didn’t respond. He just continued rifling through Will’s things, muttering under his breath. Realising his door was still wide open, Will shut it and walked closer to the guy. He didn’t want to touch the guy (in case he flipped out and decided to attack him) so he hissed again.

“Hey! What are you doing?” This time the guy turned around and started at Will with a blank expression. His dark brown eyes looked distant and glossy. Will thought back to the lesson on Symptoms at the start of term. Either this guy was stoned off his face, or he was sleepwalking. Whichever one it was, waking the guy up could result in confusion and possibly be detrimental to Will’s physical health (sometimes sleepwalkers/stoners turn violent when forced to wake) He sniffed the air around the guy. It didn’t smell of alcohol, smoke or any other nasty chemicals, which meant he was probably sleepwalking. The question now was, what on earth to do with this guy?

He was only in boxers and a dark shirt printed with a cartoon skeleton and ghost, claiming the wearer was a “Killer Partier” (Will couldn’t help but smile when he saw the tiny little party hats on the ghost and skeleton), so Will doubted he had a phone with him. Or any identification at all, really. Will sighed and watched the guy mutter to himself, in what sounded like Italian. Sleepwalking was rare in adults and usually occurred when sleep-deprivation and stress were frequent. Which probably meant the guy searching through his sock drawer was a student too. But that still didn’t help figure out where he lived and he certainly couldn’t wake the guy to ask him. So Will gently took the shorter man’s elbow and guided him to the couch. The ‘Killer Partier’ lay down on the couch without much resistance, and was asleep in the blink of an eye.

The guy wasn’t that short, it was more a case of Will being rather tall, but somehow curled up on the couch he looked _tiny_. Will had the sudden urge to tuck him in and kiss his forehead, like he was an small child. He decided against kissing the stranger, but he did drape a blanket over the pale guy’s thin frame, before letting out a huge yawn and wandering to his own bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow Will was fast asleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Usually Will’s alarm woke him up, but this morning it was a large thud coming from the lounge room. _Shit._ He forgot about the sleepwalker. Will flung aside his yellow covers and dashed to the couch to find a confused guy lying on his floor. In the daylight the guy was far less creepy, Will would even go as far as to say cute. The cute innocence the guy radiated was ruined by the string of forceful curse words that left his mouth. 

“What the hell?” Killer Partier muttered, looking around the room his face dazed.  Will cleared his throat and the boy yelped and whipped around.His gaze travelled down lower than Will’s face and Will felt his eats heat when he realised he wasn’t wearing a shirt. For a second it looked like the cute guy was checking him out, until his lips pulled into a scowl. Will held his hands up in a peaceful gesture.

“Uh, hi, I’m Will Solace. Did you know you sleepwalk?” Will watched the guy’s face go from pale to red as a tomato in less than a second. Somehow he managed to still scowl through his embarrassment.

“Shit,” The guy scrubbed his hands over his face and then stood up, “I am so sorry I haven’t slept-walked? Uh, sleep-walked? Since I was eight.” Will shook his head with his charming smile. What? He totally just wanted to check there was no medical reason the ‘Killer Partier’ was sleepwalking. Yeah that’s what he wanted to do. The guy ran a hand through his hair and Will was delighted to see that, even after attempted taming, his slightly curly hair still formed a dark halo around his head. 

“It’s not a problem. I didn’t catch your name though; I can’t call you Killer Partier forever.” The guy gave him and odd look and Will was impressed to find the scowl still there, although it had gotten less severe. He looked down at his t-shirt then back up at Will, shaking his head sharply.

“Uh, right, hi I’m Nico. Nico Di Angelo.” Will smiled a radiant smile. Di Angelo seemed fitting for a boy with a hair halo. 

“So Nico di Angelo,” Will smirked. Nico blushed, “Wanna go for breakfast?” (Will would admit that this was outright flirting). It seemed as though Nico didn’t know how to react. First he blushed, then he made a flustered gesture with his hands and then he scowled. Again.

“I’m not wearing any pants,” He commented. Will looked Nico up and down noting his bare legs. They were skinny, bust still muscly; perhaps wiry would be the best word. Nico looked to be wiry all over. Will looked back up at Nico's face and hid another grin. He didn't know it was possible for someone to turn that shade of red.

“No you’re not.” Will agreed with another smirk. Something about this guy, with his dark brown eyes, his hair halo, his permanent scowl and susceptibility to blushing made Will’s and toes feel tingly. Nico just stood there like a deer in the headlights before he cleared his throat.

“Uh, thanks for looking after me, I’m so sorry again!” Nico dashed out of the door and Will watched him go with a slight smile on his face. That smiled faded when he realised he didn’t know where Nico lived. He didn’t even know if Nico liked guys! Although judging by the way he looked at Will’s chest there’s a fairly hefty chance he’s at least bi.

 _Nico di Angelo_. The kid with the permanent scowl, who made his fingers and toes tingle. Will grinned to himself. He had some investigating to do. No, not **stalking** just _investigating_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to write an AU and then I was thinking about how Nico could dream-walk and then I had a brain wave! Nico totally sleepwalks!
> 
> It's so late and I'm going to be exhausted tomorrow, but I don't care!
> 
> Still Solangelo obsessed :)


	2. Why Are All the Cute People Taken?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The third time di Angelo wakes up in his apartment Will decides it’s probably time to do something about it.

The third time di Angelo wakes up in his apartment Will decides it’s probably time to do something about it.

So far Nico’s sleepwalking episodes have all been the same, down to the time he arrived. It was always early in the morning, around three, and a knock would sound on his door. Will would wander tiredly and open it, Nico would push past him, mutter words in both English and what sounded like Italian and start going through his drawers before Will would wake up enough to gently guide the pale boy to the couch. Nico would wake up in the morning, scowl whilst Will offered him breakfast, and make a poor excuse (see: my cat needs feeding. This would be a reasonable excuse if the building allowed pets. But it didn’t) then scamper away.

That was pretty much what happened this morning. Although on this particular Saturday Nico grumpily claimed he was going to see his father and Will wasn’t sure if it was a genuine reason or not. He figured even if he had the time Nico probably would have dashed off anyway. Once Nico had left (and Will had grinned at the door for so long it would probably be classed as creepy) Will opened the lid of his laptop and flopped onto his bed. Being a Saturday he didn’t have any classes to go to so he could afford to laze around and research Sleepwalking further. Besides it was medical research, which justified his lack of studying. 

Ten, mostly unsuccessful, minutes later Will’s stomach rumbled and he realised he hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. He carried his laptop to the kitchen with him and grabbed a banana. He started to peel it when a promising sounding website caught his eye. He clicked on the link, took a bite of his banana and started to read. The article went into detail about traumas and the neurochemicals that caused sleepwalking and Will let out a small cheer. Grabbing his laptop from the table he padded towards the couch and flopped on it, still reading.

He only paused his reading for a second when and unfamiliar scent caught his nose. It smelled like dirt and basil and something odd Will couldn’t place. He wasn’t an unpleasant smell, just unfamiliar. Growing up with many siblings and even more cousins Will had learnt not to be bothered by strange smells a long time ago and continued his reading with a shrug.

By the end of the research Will knew all there was to know about Sleepwalking. It was generally caused by over-tiredness and stress (which admittedly he already knew) but it could also be a form of night-terrors, a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. He also knew that it usually occurred in the N-REM state of sleep and that it generally meant some parts of the brain were ‘awake’ whilst others weren’t. But what got him the most was the bit about sleepwalkers doing dangerous things. It occurred to Will that he had no idea what Nico did before he came to will’s apartment. What if he was trying to drive a car? Or wandering near the stairs? Will promised himself to find out where Nico lived so he could talk to the guy about safety. But for now, the sunshine was calling him.

 

* * *

 

 

Will came back from his day at the beach with Cecil and Lou Ellen very happy. He had sand in places he didn’t know sand could get in, salt frosted through his hair and eyebrows and probably a thousand more freckles than he started the day with and he loved it. It had been ages since his two best friends and he had spent a day out at the beach. He was so cheery that almost didn’t notice the blonde stranger as he walked by. _Almost_.

Will took pride in know everybody in his building; Nico had been the only exception. There was Piper McLean in number one, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase had just moved out of Number two last week, The Stoll twins were in number three, he was in number four and Leo Valdez was in number five, Cecil in room six, Lou Ellen in room seven and where room eight was had been turned into a garden/laundry/spare shower/metal workshop. That was why Nico being a stranger had really confused him he thought he knew everyone in the building.

“Hey are you moving in? Do you need any help with boxes and stuff man?” The stranger in front of room two turned around. He looked like Superman, only blonde, and even his golden glasses were very Clark Kent. The guy shook his head and began to say something when he was cut off.

“Jason is that you?” There in the doorway was Nico di Angelo and by the gods, there was not a scowl in sight. Everything made sense. Percy and Annabeth just moved out of room three and Nico moved in, why didn’t he think of it before! Jason grinned and hugged Nico and Will felt an odd sensation in his stomach, as if someone had just punched him in the gut. Nico caught sight of Will over his boyfriend’s shoulder. He stared at Will for a long moment then his face dropped into a scowl.

“Will? What are you doing here?” Will was too winded by the stab to his heart to reply for a second. He’d hoped, wished that Nico was gay, or perhaps bi, but to find out that he had a boyfriend made him feel horrible. Gods he hadn’t even realised his crush was this bad.

“I was just heading home. I thought Jason was moving in. Uh nice to meet you Jason,” Will ran a hand through his salty hair and this time it was his turn to do the scampering.

When he got back to his room Will collapsed on the couch and tried to look for the bright side. He really did. At least now he didn’t have to call Chiron to ask if he’d rented out a room to a Nico di Angelo. And he knew where Nico lived (that sounded really creepy now that he thought about it) so he could monitor the guy’s sleepwalking at least. Maybe learn a few things. But Will’s heart wasn’t in it anymore. Life just wasn’t fair.

The whole situation was really not helped by a text from Lou Ellen reading:

**Hows ur crush? Gonna ask him out yet?**

_He has a boyfriend. Tall, athletic, wears glasses. I can’t compete :(_

**O that 2 bad. Cc said 2 tell u 2 stop sulking and come down 2 bonfire.**

_I am not sulking!_

**Riiiiight.**

_I hate you guys. See you in five._

After the beach Lou Ellen and Cecil had stayed for some Beach Bonfire thing all the people in the building were invited to. Will had opted out, hoping to catch Nico while the rest of the building were out partying, but now having fun with his friends seemed like the best idea.

True to his word Will was there in five. It was a secluded beach not many people knew about, so the party was fairly private. As he approached the bush you had to peel aside he could smell bonfire smoke and hear chatter. Will emerged from the bushes and found Cecil and Lou Ellen easily, thanks to the bright purple streaks in Lou Ellen’s hair.

Will was surprised at the number of people there. Percy and Annabeth seemed to have brought along all their new friends from the ‘Roman’ apartments a suburb over. The ‘Roman’ apartments were owned by the same business as the people who owned Will’s building and they had been dubbed that after Will’s building was dubbed the ‘Greek’ apartments and they wanted to be included. That’s why Will’s door was painted a sunny yellow and had Apollo printed on it in gold letters. Chiron let the residents pick which Greek god or goddess they wanted on their door and paint in themselves. Cecil had a picture of two snakes around a pole and Hermes printed. Lou Ellen had swirls of bright colours spelling Hecate.

On top of the Greeks and Romans the Artemis Mission girls were there too. Artemis’ Mission was a group of asexual, aromatic or lesbian girls who lived and studied together, all the while being sworn off boys, like some very strange sorority. They moved around frequently running female youth support groups and confidence workshops but they always did come back to town to see their Greek and Roman friends. There was a friendly sort of rivalry between all three living arrangements and they often held bonfires and had various competitions like ‘Who Can Tell the Worst Joke’ or ‘Who’s the Best Wrestler’.

Will waved to the people he knew, which was practically everyone, then sat down and started chatting to Cecil and Lou Ellen who eventually dragged him off to meet some of their new friends and Nico was temporarily wiped from Will’s mind. He talked with Percy and Annabeth about life in Rome and they laughed and introduced him to Frank, Hazel, Reyna, and Dakota who all lived in Rome with them. Will was halfway through an animated conversation with Thalia, a girl who lived in Greece before she joined the Artemis Mission, when cheering erupted.

“I can’t believe you actually got him to come!” Someone, it sounded like Hazel, said. Thalia whistled from beside him.

“It’s been a while since I saw that kid. He’s doing well. If I wasn’t sworn of men…” She said shaking her head.

“Hey look he seems to be almost smiling! Good on Jason.” Will heard someone else say and he turned around to see what all the fuss was about. To find Jason near the entry and there by his side, his hair halo illuminated by the bonfire, was Nico di Angelo. And he was staring straight at Will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for the awesome response!
> 
> At first it was supposed to be a one-shot, then I thought I'll just add another chapter, but now it seems I will have to continue writing... what a shame ;)
> 
> Still Solangelo Obsessed! Hope you all have a safe holiday and enjoy :)


	3. Wait, You're Not Dating Jason?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will’s not opposed to cute guys staring at him, but it’s kind of creepy when there’s a thousand other people trying to talk to them and they’re still staring at you.

Will’s not opposed to cute guys staring at him, but it’s kind of creepy when there’s a thousand other people trying to talk to them and they’re still staring at you.

 Will waved awkwardly. Nico waved back. Whoever yelled before was right, Nico _is_ almost smiling. Granted his lips were still sealed together but there was definitely mirth in the guy’s dark eyes. It almost made Will smile himself, then Jason wrapped his arm around Nico’s shoulders and that’s when Will has to turn away. Yeah he still liked Nico, but there’s no way he’d to steal another guy’s boyfriend. That’s just nasty and Will liked to think he wasn’t a nasty person. So instead he turned back to Thalia with a questioning look in his eyes.

“You know Nico?” He asked. Thalia tore her gaze away from Nico.

“Uh yeah ages ago, when I still lived in Greece, Nico and his sister came to Greece looking for a home and they were there for a bit before Bianca joined the Mission. At the time I was disgusted, man I hated the Mission.” Will is confused. It probably has something to do with the amount of alcohol he’s had, and the fact that he’s a tad distracted thinking about Nico. _If Thalia hated the Mission then why was she the leader now? And more importantly why was she telling him all this?_

“But if you hated the Mission, how did you wind up the leader? And why are you telling me all of this?” Thalia gives a wistful sort of smile.

“In answer to your second question, I haven’t told the story in a long time and stories are made for sharing. Also just because I’m sworn off relationships doesn’t mean I can’t tell when someone wants in,” She raised her eyebrows at Will then looked over at Nico. Will blushed and tried to deny it, but Thalia continued her story.

“I was dating this guy, Luke. I thought he ran the world. Annabeth him and me go way back, we met in like elementary school. Anyway I had the biggest crush on him for ages and we were finally going out, but all that time I’d been so blind to what an ass he actually was. He was hurting my friends and he didn’t really love me. So we fought a lot. And despite that everybody said we were destined to be together like it was some big prophecy and I hated it. We broke up and partly from heartbreak and because I really wanted to just break this freakin ‘prophecy’ I joined the Mission. To be honest I think it was the best thing I ever did.” She smiled at another Mission girl Will couldn’t remember the name of.  _She did all of that because of love?_  Will wasn't so sure he wanted to date anymore. 

“It was the best thing you ever did,” The Mission Girl- Rachel?- agreed. Thalia looked back to Will.

“But man that’s kids been through some rough patches. More than anyone should have to in a lifetime.”

“What do you mean?” Will asked. Thalia just shook her head.

“That story is not mine to tell.” She patted Will on the arm, but by then Will was lost in thought.

Suddenly the fire was too warm and everything was too loud. He wandered down closer to the shore, so the noise was only a dull muttering and the sand in front of him was only just illuminated by the fire. He sat down and kicked his flip-flops off, digging his feet into the sand. He sat on the shore line, just thinking. Who was Nico di Angelo and what had happened to him? Why was he always scowling? Why was everyone, including himself, so surprised when he nearly smiled? What was all this talk of rough times and bad stuff? And did it have anything to do with Nico’s sleepwalking? Will really didn’t know what was going on, but it sounded like Nico got a pretty bad deal with life and for some reason that made Will hurt. He leant back so he was resting on his forearms and stared at the night sky.

Looking at the sky always calmed Will. It reminded him that the universe was big and there was many options and that above all, everything would work out okay in the end. His worries about Nico started to fade away as the alcohol kicked in and he started to feel sort of tired in a pleasant, gentle way. He was considering getting up and leaving, before he had too much to drink, when someone sat down beside him.

“Hey.” A quiet voice said. Will sat up and there was Nico di Angelo in all of his hair-haloed, scowling glory.

“Hey yourself.” Will replied. They sat in awkward silence for a moment. Will contemplated what to say.

“You know I think this is the first time I’ve seen you with pants on Mr Home Invasion.” He commented and turned to gauge Nico’s reaction. Nico raised an eyebrow at him.

“What it’s true!” Will defended holding his hands up. Nico raised both eyebrows, but Will could see the pink staining his cheeks.

“I never said it wasn’t.” He said and mimicked Will’s defensive hand action. They fell into awkward silence again. Partly for something to do and partly because his head was growing heavy, Will laid down.

“You’ll get sand in your hair.” Nico said looking down at Will. Somehow Nico looked even grumpier from this angle. But the moon was behind his head and the licks of hair that encircled Nico’s head shone, like a proper halo, which made him seem incredibly innocent. The image of a scowling Nico in a white gown, with white fluffy wings and a sparkly halo, popped into Will’s head and he couldn’t hold back a giggle. Nico scowled. Will giggled harder.

“Why are you always grumpy Nico?” He blurted out. Nico’s scowl turned into a frown.

“Why do you insist on playing show tunes at ridiculous noise levels?” Will looked up at the stars with a shrug. Or an attempt at a shrug, shrugs are tricky lying down.

“They make me happy.” He said. There was another silence. This one was far less awkward and more contemplative.

“See,” Nico mused, “Maybe I just don’t have anything to make me happy.” Will wasn’t sure if he should be sad or angry. Clearly there were people who cared about Nico, people who were excited to see him and people who wanted to talk to him, and Will was only just meeting half of these people. He was angry that Nico couldn’t see that, couldn’t see that Will wanted to make him happy, but he was sad too. Sad that Nico thought it was that way.

“What about your boyfriend?” Will asked. Surely Jason was making Nico happy, he saw their hug this morning. Nico made an odd sort of choking noise.

“I don’t- I don’t, uh, have a boyfriend?” Nico had an absolute look of terror in his eyes. Will frowned. He knew that look. It was a look he’d had plastered on his face when he first told his mum he was bi. The face never came back after he was assured that it was normal.

“Hey it’s alright man, it’s perfectly normal.” Nico looked sort of shocked.

“Uh, really? You’re, not, you know, you don’t..?” Will smiled up at Nico and beckoned for him to lie down as well. Nico didn’t budge.

“Come on I’ve got to tell you a secret.” Will insisted and patted the sand beside him. Nico looked between Will and the sand.

“I’ll get sand in my hair.” He pointed out, running a hand through said hair. Will snorted. He doubted Nico was actually worried about that sand, but just in case he gave him another option.

“Then rest your head on me.” Nico froze. Will watched with amusement as he looked at Will’s chest then up at his face. Will smiled encouragingly. Nico sighed and positioned himself so that they made an odd t-shape, with Nico’s head on will’s chest. The neck of Will’s shirt was low enough that he could feel Nico’s soft hair tickling his skin. Will resisted the urge to pet it. Will’s fingers and toes started tingling again.  They stayed like that, just looking at the stars and enjoying each other’s warmth, for what felt like moments, but honestly could have been hours. Nico cleared his throat.

“You had something to tell me?” All of the sarcasm and grumpiness in his voice from before seemed to have given way to nervousness.

“Oh yeah! I’m bisexual, and most people don’t care what your sexuality is, it’s really nothing to be ashamed of.” Will said in a dramatic stage whisper, “So now really tell me Jason is making you happy, right?” The thought of Nico dating Jason made Will’s chest ache but from what he’d heard Nico deserved to be happy. Nico made that choking noise again.

“Jason?” He asked in-between a few coughs. The confusion was evident in his voice. Now Will was confused.

“Yeah, Jason. Your boyfriend?” Nico sat up abruptly and without Nico leaning on him Will felt cold. His coldness was forgotten when Nico started to laugh. Not just a little giggle either, it was a full blown, belly laugh and it sent electric sparks through Will’s body. Nico rose to his feet, still laughing and Will sat up.

“What? What’s so funny?”

“You thought Jason, thought that Jason and I?” Nico said in-between peals of laughter. Will’s eyes widened.

“So you’re not dating Jason?” He asked. Nico just kept laughing. He grabbed Will’s hand and the tingling spread from his fingers to his whole body. Then Will was being pulled towards the fire, after Nico, who was still laughing like a maniac.

When they got to the fire Will could see that everyone had taken to sitting around. Then he looked at Nico. He couldn’t see it back there in the dark, but if Nico was cute when he scowled and adorable when he blushed, he was absolutely beautiful when he laughed. Nico’s entire face was lit up with laughter, his dark eyes shining, his head tilted back and his laugh echoing across the beach. Will was filled with the sudden urge to make Nico laugh again, just so he could see him so beautiful. He stared at Nico and Nico pointed at something.

The party was dying down and everyone had gathered around the bonfire, old stories and jokes were coming out. Will could see Annabeth leaning against Percy, Leo playing with Calypso’s hair, Frank and Hazel’s legs in a tangle, the Mission Girls seemed to be in one big knot, heads resting on each other and many other couples tangled up. Will followed Nico’s finger to find Jason sitting with his back against a log and Piper in his lap. _Oh._

“But I, I thought?” Nico composed himself enough to pat Will on the shoulder then he burst into laughter again. Will didn’t care that everyone around the fire was staring at him and Nico, or that their hands were still clasped together, Nico was single and that meant Will had a chance. His laughter joined Nico's twirling together above the fire. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thanks for being so kind guys!
> 
> So This was supposed to be just a fluffy one-shot and now there's other feelings in here and it just sort of developed a life of its own... I'm still not 100% happy with this Chapter but meh.
> 
> Not even trying to deny my Solangelo Obsession anymore :)


	4. How Come You Sleepwalk, Anyway?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will figured Nico’s friends would be amazed he was laughing, he had no idea he was going to get threats.

Will figured Nico’s friends would be amazed he was laughing, he had no idea he was going to get threats.

“William Solace,” Hazel said untangling herself from Frank and standing up, “What have you done to my brother?” Her golden eyes were narrowed and her hands rested on her hips. The campfire was silent, save for a few giggles from Nico, who was still trying to compose himself.

“Nothing I swear!” He said placing a hand over his heart. Reyna raised an eyebrow standing to join Hazel. Her arms were folded over her purple shirt and she was glaring too.

“You both disappeared.” She pointed out. Jason nodded, but he didn’t get up.

“If you’ve broken our Nico.” Will took a step back as more and more people stood up saying things about hurting Nico. He was trying to explain, but each time he opened up his mouth someone else joined the accusations. The noise steadily grew louder until Nico cleared his throat. The laughter was wiped off his face, but, despite his scowl, something warm glowed in his eyes.

“Will you stop threatening him! We just talked!” Nico cried and ooohs erupted from the crowd. Nico rolled his eyes, but his face turned pink. Will tried to hide his smile.

“It’s not like that!” Even though Will hadn’t meant for their conversation to be ‘like that’ he couldn’t help but feel a stab in his chest when Nico brushed off the idea so quickly.

“What were you laughing at then?” Someone piped up and Nico grinned.

“He thought I was dating Jason!” There was silence for half a beat, then the campfire erupted into giggles. It was so obvious Jason was ridiculously, disgustingly in love with Piper that thinking anything else, even if Jason did seem slightly camp, was laughable. Will was not the type to get embarrassed (not with a dad like his) and he gladly joined in laughing. At least they’d stopped threatening him! When everyone had pulled themselves together, which took entirely too long to be normal (Will supposed it had something to do with the ‘grown-up drinks’) people started chatting again. Nico had found an empty log and patted the space beside him. Will grinned and picked his way through people to join Nico.

The fire was warm, the sand was soft, the sound of waves was calming and the company was excellent. Will thought that maybe this was the best night he’d had in, well, ever. Nico was clever. He liked Mythology and History and happily chatted about far off heroes and the possibilities they could have existed. Will shared the stories his mother had told him and the pair laughed about some of the stories. Halfway through discussing the Argonauts Cecil tapped Will on the shoulder. He told Will that he was going home and now that a break had formed in the conversation will realise just how many people had gone home. The Hunt were all gone (expect for Thalia who was catching up with old friends) and Will could on see four or five couples besides him and Nico. He waved goodnight to Cecil and Lou Ellen and shook Percy’s hand when they came to say goodnight. He waited as Hazel and Frank came over and said goodnight to Nico and told him that they were pleased Nico had found a new friend.

By the time the goodbyes were done the only people left by the bonfire were Will, Nico and Thalia who was laughing with the Stoll twins. The fire was still quite big and Nico didn’t seem to want to go home so Will was quite content talking. He hadn’t had a proper conversation with anyone for this long in years. They talked about the stars and night-time and then they found themselves on the topic of sleeping and dreaming. Will desperately wanted to ask Nico about his sleepwalking and he was just thinking about how he could bring it up when Nico did it for him.

“I haven’t sleep-walked in an age.” He said thoughtfully. Will glanced at him. Nico’s eyes were captivated by the dancing flames. Will looked back at the fire himself, watching different patterns appear.

“You know, they say people sleepwalk when they’re stressed or worried…” Will said quietly and snuck a glance at Nico again. The flames were still reflected in his eyes. Nico hummed.

“Stressed doesn’t begin to cover it.” He said just as quietly and Will looked at him. What was that supposed to mean?

“Everything okay?” He asked. Nico stared at the flames for a long while, and Thalia’s laugh rang out through the beach. Will saw Jason and Piper get up and slip through the bushes. When he looked back at Nico, he was already looking at him. There was sadness in his eyes and Will winced. He hadn’t meant to make anyone sad. Nico stared at him for a second before sighing and dragging a hand down his face.

“It’s kind of a long story,” he muttered and Will didn’t know how to respond. On one hand he wanted to press Nico, to find out what was making him so miserable, but on the other hand he wanted Nico to feel safe and tell him when he was ready. He settled for the latter.

“Maybe another time then.” Will didn’t miss the appreciative look in Nico’s eyes. They continued to talk. They talked about anything and everything- weather, politics, school, old friends. It was pleasant and Will found himself talking to Nico honestly and truthfully. He didn’t have to guard what he said, or choose his words carefully- Nico understood.

Their conversation lapsed into a surprisingly comfortable silence. The fire had dimmed to a small flame surrounded by glowing embers. The beach was deserted. Will checked his watch and his eyes widened. It was quarter to one. He’d been talking to Nico for three and a half hours! It felt like twenty minutes!

“Nico, it’s quarter to one.” Will said softly and Nico looked up from the embers. His eyes were wide and hair halo fuzzy. He looked remarkably like an exhausted toddler.

“I should,” Nico started and paused for a long yawn, “Probably go.”

Will yawned too, “Yeah me as well.” Neither of them made a move. They sat for a moment more. Nico yawned. Will yawned. The fire dimmed.

“How’d you get here anyway Nico?” Will asked after yawning for a third time. Nico’s head shot up.

“Ah crap I came with Jason!” Will had a suspicious feeling Lou Ellen and Cecil had some part in convincing Jason to leave Nico so that Will would have to drive him home.

“That’s okay, man, I’ll drive you.” Nico shook his head violently.

“I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” He said. Will got up, holding a hand out for Nico to grab.

“Dude we live in the same building!” Nico accepted his hand and Will continued, “Besides you’ve spent the last four nights on my couch.” Will could feel the heat from Nico’s cheeks. They threw sand onto the remains of the bonfire and grabbed any rubbish they could see, which was thankfully only one bottle and a crisp packet.

Will had only had one cup of whatever was being served, but their building wasn’t far, the night was warm and being taken in for drunk-driving would really ruin his mood.

“Are you alright if we walk?” He asked and Nico nodded. The poor guy looked exhausted and Will winced again.

“Sorry for keeping you up.” Nico shook his head and the corner of his mouth twitched into a small smile.

“I had fun.” They didn’t hold hands as they walked home, but their shoulders brushed together and the stars were pretty so will didn’t mind. Entirely too soon they were in the building and Nico was fumbling around in his pockets for his keys. He grew more panicked as he searched longer and will rolled his eyes.

“Nico, just come sleep on my couch. You’d probably end up there anyway!” Nico shook his head again.

“No I wouldn’t want to-.” Will cut him off by grabbing his arm.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s probably safer for you anyway, Mr Sleepwalk.”

And that was how Nico ended up in Will’s apartment (mostly) awake for once. They were too tired to shower and Will didn’t even bother to change. He handed Nico a spare blanket and pillow and the guy was out like a light in less than thirty seconds. Will chuckled to himself as he curled beneath his own covers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of guys, a HUGE sorry for being MIA for so long! We were camping and I was out with friends all the time, then it was Christmas and New years, then my grandparents came, and then I was getting ready to go back to school!
> 
> Second thing- oh my gosh! I'm humbled by the awesome response I've gotten from you guys! THANK YOU!
> 
> Yeah even though I took a break I'm definitely still Solangelo Obsessed!
> 
> So I hope you all had a great Christmas and have an excellent 2015! Anything can be better than 2014 really! Was it just me or did everyone's 2014 suck?
> 
> Ruby
> 
> PS Not edited because I wanted to post ASAP! I'll check it later, I promise xxx


	5. What is Brunch?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When he woke up Will couldn't breathe.

When Will woke up he couldn’t breathe.

Despite cutting out the middle man, and spending the night in Will’s apartment, Nico still travelled in his sleep. This time there was no loud knock to jolt Will from his deep sleep so it wasn’t realised until he opened his eyes to find Nico nearly on top of him. Nico was fully clothed and the sheets separated them, so it honestly shouldn’t have made Will blush like it did.

His curtains were thin and light shone through them, bathing Nico in yellow glow. Will was amused to find Nico’s halo remained. Nico was sound asleep and his face was clear of the worry lines that were usually there. Not wanting to wake him, Will just lay in bed starting at the roof (not at all at Nico. Nope.) and listened to the birds sing.

 This was fine for all of ten minutes. Then Will’s bladder began to fail him. He hissed a soft curse word and contemplated the best way to get out of bed, without waking Nico. There really was no way to do it. His bladder panged and Will cursed again. Nico started to stir. He lifted his head and stared blearily at Will. It was incredibly cute and Will couldn’t help the grin that crossed his face.

“Morning sunshine.” He said quietly and Nico blinked slowly.

“Will?” He croaked, voice laced with sleep. Nico’s face was so close to his, their noses were practically touching. It was then that Will discovered that Nico’s eyes were his new favourite thing.

“Yep. Thank god you’re awake. I was about to pee in the bed.” Nico’s nose screwed up and he rolled off Will.

“That’s disgusting.” Will stood up and practically sprinted to the bathroom calling out an agreement as he went.

When he got back from the bathroom Nico was sitting awkwardly on the side of the bed. He looked up when Will came in.

“Uh I’m sorry for uh, you know.” His face was bright red and Will almost felt sorry for him. He joined Nico on his bed.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you got some sleep.” Nico nodded, the red fading slightly. They didn’t say much and Will found it surprisingly nice to just sit. He thought about how much fun he’d had chatting to Nico last night and how the guy made him feel. He wasn’t even sure Nico was gay, but he was getting bored of waiting. He was just about to open his mouth, to voice his feelings in some way, when a growl came from Nico’s stomach. Nico looked up sheepishly and Will laughed.

“Come on let’s go have breakfast. Well more like lunch. Kind of.” Will stood up holding out his hand for Nico to take.

“Brunch?’ Nico asked from the bed and Will screwed his face up.

“Late breakfast. Kinda early lunch. Lunch, but with breakfast food.” He said. Nico laughed.

“Brunch. You literally just defined brunch.”

“But brunch comes with the premise of fancy gourmet food and I have like one egg and half a loaf of bread,” Will paused for a moment, “And I can’t cook.” Nico rolled his eyes, took Will’s hand and got up from the bed. Will was halfway out of the bedroom when Nico called him.

“Will, what are you doing?” Will turned around.

“Going to get breakfast?” It came out like a question. Nico frowned.

“Aren’t you going to make your bed?” He asked and Will snorted. He made his bed about once a year.

“I don’t usually.” Nico gasped as if this was the most scandalous thing he’d heard.

“Well I’m making it then.” He bent over and began to straighten Will’s sheets. Will smiled at his back and opened the curtain. He turned around to help Nico make the bed, but he was already done. It looked like a hotel bed.

“Whoa! How did you even do that?”

“My sister taught me. I’ll make you a towel swan next time,” He said, sounding a bit sad. Then his eyes widened as he realised exactly what he’d said, “I, uh, I mean if there is a next time, um.” Will just laughed and showed Nico to his kitchen. He grabbed a packet of headache tablets and two glasses of water, instructing Nico to take them. They both took their tablets.

“Alright then. Brunch.” Nico grinned at Will’s face when he said brunch. Will showed Nico to his fridge and cupboard and Nico sighed.

“You weren’t joking. Well we’ve got eggs, sugar and bread. You know what that means?” Will shook his head.

“Could you please get me a frying pan and a bowl?” Nico asked and Will obliged, curious to know what Nico was talking about. Nico cracked the eggs into the bowl and added some sugar and the last of Will’s milk. He then whisked it with the fork and Will watched in wonder. As someone whose speciality was Two Minute Noodles Nico’s cooking was very impressive. When he said this Nico smiled. He hadn’t scowled once this morning, and Will took it as a good sign.

“My sister taught me.” He said quietly and Will smiled.

“Well I can’t wait to meet her.” He said and Nico froze. Will frowned and stepped closer to Nico.

“Nico? Are you okay?” He nodded, but his eyes looked sad.

“I’m fine,” He said in quiet, slightly wobbly voice, “My sister passed away.” Will wanted to hit his head on the wall. He was such an idiot.

“Oh I’m so sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say. But for the moment that seemed to be enough. Nico shook his head and smiled gently at Will.

“It’s okay, it was a long time ago.” They were quiet for a while. Nico took a slice of bread and dipped it in the bowl. He left it there for a second then put it in the pan. The bread sizzled.  

“What happened?” Will broke the silence. Nico hesitated and Will kicked himself, “I mean only if you don’t mind sharing.” He looked at Will, their eyes meeting then he nodded. Will didn’t know what the nod was about, but it made his heart leap.

“No I- I think I should share.” He said equally quietly. There was only the sizzling of bread for a moment. Then Nico began to talk. He kept his eyes on the toast as he told Will.

“Her name was Bianca. She was practically my mother. Our mother died when we were young, not long after we moved from Italy, and dad left a couple of years after that. She raised me and I loved her. I was sixteen and she was eighteen. We lived here. She finished school and joined the Hunt. At first I hated her for leaving me alone, but what I didn’t know was that she was dying. So she joined the Hunt and then one day I get a message from Zoe Nightshade, the head of the Hunt at the time, telling me Bianca was in hospital. So I rushed to the hospital and they tell me Bianca’s brain tumour has flared again,” Nico swallows and puts another piece of soaked bread in the pan, “And it was fine for a while. She fought it. I had to go back to school, but the doctor said she would be okay. And she was for a week, until I got another message from Zoe saying Bianca had died in the night.”

“I was a wreck after that. My life was torn apart. My grades dropped, I failed three classes and my social life deteriorated. I moved out of here. I started hanging around people I shouldn’t have. I got into dangerous situations. I didn’t care about living. I found my dad. I was angry with him.”

“And then I got less angry. I thought about what Bianca would want me to do and I calmed down a bit. I remembered the apartments we used to live in and I visited Chiron regularly. I met my half-sister Hazel. I started making more friends. I got over my hopeless crush on Percy. Everyone was so helpful and kind and I had been so afraid of being an outcast for so long I guess I’d forgotten that. It’s been six years and a couple of weeks now.” He finished quietly.

Will was wrapping his arms around Nico before he could think about it.He suddenly had a whole new perspective on Nico and somehow it made him even more loveable. For a split second Nico didn’t hug back, but he drew a slightly trembling breath and brought his arms around Will. They stayed like that, locked together, until Nico’s stomach rumbled again. Will drew back and squeezed Nico’s shoulders.

“You’re incredible. Thanks for telling me.” He said quietly and Nico’s lips curved up slightly, his face flushed pink.

“Thanks for listening.” Nico replied. They were standing so close they were almost still hugging. Nico was shorter than Will and his head tilted back slightly to look into Will’s eyes. Will was struck by the overwhelming urge to kiss Nico on the forehead. He didn’t. Instead he took a step back.

“I do have one question though,” Nico looked worried and Will grinned, “If you’re Italian why are we having French Toast?” Nico let out a startled laugh, as if he hadn’t quite expected himself to laugh at what Will said.

“Do you have a problem with French Toast?” He asked as he put it on the plates and sprinkled some sugar on the top. He then opened the fridge and grinned victoriously when he found a packet of raspberries. Will watched Nico sprinkle the raspberries on the French toast.

“Not at all, sunshine.”

 

They sat on the balcony to eat brunch. The sky was clear and a light breeze blew around them. It was a beautiful day. It was a lazy day in the town below, and Will suspected most people were at the beach, enjoying the warm sun. They ate in comfortable silence. And Will thought more about what Nico had said. He was sure He’d said something about a crush on Percy. Which meant Nico liked guys. Will would never forgive himself if he let Nico slip through his fingers so after he took their plates and put them on the floor he looked over to Nico.

“Hey Will?” Nico said and Will looked up in surprise.

“Yeah?” Nico looked kind of sheepish. And he looked down at the floor his face red.

“Um, you know how I said next time, this morning?”

“Yeah?” Nico looked up now, his face a tomato.

“Well I was just going to say maybe I wouldn’t mind there being a next time? If you want to of course!” Will’s face split into a grin and he pulled Nico up from his chair and pulled him into a hug. Nico hugged him back, laughing as Will spun them around.

“So we can go for coffee sometime?” Nico asked as they let each other go and Will nodded.

“We can go for coffee any time you like.” He agreed and Nico finally smiled. He looked gorgeous in his day old clothes, with messy hair and sugar around his lips and Will was struck, not for the first time, with the urge to kiss him.

“I really want to kiss you.” He said and Nico grinned wickedly. Will was taken aback. He’d never seen Nico with that kind of expression. It was very attractive.

“Why don’t you then?” And that was all they needed. Their lips met. Nico was warm and his mouth tasted like sugar. When they pulled away Will pressed his forehead to Nico’s and they stayed there, staring into each other’s eyes before a wolf whistle came from the next balcony along. They pair jumped and there, standing on the next balcony was Cecil, Lou Ellen, Jason, Piper, Leo, Calypso and the Stoll twins. There was a laugh from underneath them and there in the garden was Chiron, tending to the strawberry plants. He grinned at them waving his phone in his hand. Will and Nico both groaned. Then Will was being pulled into another kiss. He could feel Nico smiling into it and he was sure Nico could feel him doing the exact same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Sorry for the long wait, starting school was a bit busy and we had to get new laptops so that was interesting to learn how to use and I already have a huge Science project and another huge Design and Tech project so, yeah. Whoo. Gotta love high school. 
> 
> Unfortunately I think this is the last chapter, it was fun to write and I just want to say a HUGE thanks to all you wonderful fans who have been so absolutely lovely to me. 
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this chapter. Maybe I'll write a sequel. Maybe. I don't know. 
> 
> Stay Solangelo obsessed and I hope to see you guys again soon,
> 
> Ruby xxx


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